Potential Energy Savings By Switching Residential Cooking and Water Heating Appliances from Electric to LPG in Saudi Arabia (OR-16-C004)

Electricity consumption per capita has been gradually increasing by 8% annually during the past 10 years in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. One of the main reasons for this above-average growth rate is the utilization of low-efficiency electrical home appliances, which is encouraged by the low initial investment and the artificially low energy prices. In 2013, the residential sector consumed nearly 126 terawatt hours, which represents 49% of the country’s electricity consumption. This paper investigates the potential savings in primary energy that can be achieved by switching residential water heating and cooking appliances from electricity to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).